Flawed, we're fascinating, truly memorable, and yes, truly beautiful.

— Justina Chen

From her dubious tone alone, I could see how Karin had no idea how terrifying words spoken quietly could be. How words chosen precisely to wreak maximum damage ticked like a bomb in your head, but exploded in your heart hours later, leaving you scarred and changed.

— Justina Chen

Getting lost is just another way of saying 'going exploring.

— Justina Chen

He knew me in all the ways that truly mattered: the shape of my fears, the contours of my dreams.

— Justina Chen

Hey, if it's a good philosophy, it works. Death is imminent. Live every day like it's your last.

— Justina Chen

How many times had I begged Mom to divorce him already?

— Justina Chen

I didn't know that the world could be so mind-bendingly beautiful.

— Justina Chen

If art made you think, then this was Art. Staring at the ball, made of layers and layers of cloth, I wondered about the glass marble at its heart. What if you wanted to reach that marble? Make sure it was still whole? You'd have to remove the layers. You'd have to risk breaking the ball for a chance at freeing it. Fear, knowledge, certainty - you'd have to be willing to let them all go.

— Justina Chen

I preferred my brand of beauty where Norah was more beautiful than any Bette, and Mom was beautiful whether sized extra-small or extra-large. Where Peony could look at herself in the mirror and murmur, wow, look at me. Just look at me.

— Justina Chen

I wondered about her chicken-and-egg relationship with Dad. Which came first? Her helplessness or his controlling?

— Justina Chen